Gop Right Interviews Hopefuls

February 4, 1999|By THOMAS B. EDSALL The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Religious and social conservatives, struggling to agree on a presidential candidate to back in the Republican primaries, interviewed six prospective competitors on Wednesday at a closed-door gathering at a Capitol Hill hotel.

The would-be candidates were asked to answer in writing questions on issues ranging from abortion to nativity scenes on government property.

The interviews are part of a concerted, but so far frustrated, drive by a segment of the GOP right wing to agree on a single candidate. The goal of the ad hoc Committee to Restore American Values is to avoid divisions that have allowed the moderate, centrist wing of the Republican Party to select the nominee.

Those scheduled for the series of one-hour interviews at the Washington Court Hotel were Gary Bauer, former head of the Family Research Council; repeat candidate Alan Keyes; Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio; Steve Forbes; Sen. Robert Smith, R-N.H.; and, by phone from Indianapolis, former vice president Dan Quayle.

Many of the nearly two dozen conservative leaders participating in Wednesday's interviews have complained that George Bush in 1992 and Bob Dole in 1996 failed to push social issues in their campaigns, leaving conservatives with little reason to go to the polls.

Sources said none of the candidates is a compelling choice, making it highly unlikely that a solid block of conservatives will be able to settle on one candidate.

Some said Quayle and Forbes are the most likely to get strong backing from the conservatives.

Among other contenders for the nomination, Texas Gov. George Bush declined an invitation to participate; Elizabeth Dole, according to her staff, was not invited; and former Tennessee governor Lamar Alexander could not attend because of commitments in New Hampshire.

The conservatives in Wednesday's meetings generally represent the right's older generation: Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation, Phyllis Schlafly of the Eagle Forum, former Colorado senator Bill Armstrong and Morton Blackwell of the Leadership Institute.

They were joined, according to sources, by Randy Tate, executive director of the Christian Coalition, and Mike Farris, a leader in the home schooling movement.